Notes on shooting the 8 van Chaam.

The 8 van Chaam is one of those races that feels like it belongs to another era. Once a year, some of the biggest names of the Tour de France descend on the narrow streets and country roads around Chaam in the North Brabant countryside, covering roughly 80 kilometres in a circuit that rewards explosive riders and punishes anyone who loses concentration. The crowd stands inches from the barriers. The noise, the speed, the dust — it is as close as you get to professional cycling.

For me the challenge is always the light. The race passes in seconds and you rarely get a second chance at the same shot. The flat Dutch landscape means you have to work the angles from low down or find an elevated spot to compress the field. The best moments are almost always unexpected.